PLAINS DRAINAGE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5103, 21 March 1927, Page 4

PLAINS DRAINAGE.

UNION OF DISTRICTS. PROCEDURE TO BE ADOPTED. In icply to the Horahia Drainage Board the Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs wrote on March 11 as ■follows :— “First meeting of United Board. I assume, that this question refers to the board of seven trustees which will in due course be elected. In this respect following on the recommendation of both boards, it is proposed to appoint Mr W. E, G. Willy as returning officer and person to prepare the roll for tjie purposes ol the first election. I shall be glad if he will prepare a roll of electors. accordingly for the united district, and when this roll has been prepared kindlj r advise me, and at the same time suggest a suitable date and place for- holding the first election, and a suitable date, hour, and place for holding the first meeting of the board so elected. These suggestions will then be submitted to His Excellency the Governor-General in order that if suitable the different arrangements may be made by His Excellency. At the first meeting o’f thu board the returning officer should preside until a chairman is elected.

“The next clause drew attention to Section 35, Land Drainage Act, 1908, and section 15 (3), which provided that a united district shall be deemed to be a district constituted under that Act. The first election, will, therefore', be carried out in all respects as if the united district were a new district, and consequently there will be no classification on which to base the voting power of electors. Section 5, Land Drainage Amendment Act, 1922, provides that the first election of trustees may be held before the ratepayers” list is corrected.

The union will take effect on April 1, and the two separate boards wil go out of existence as separate bodies. Section 9 of the 1922 Amendment provides that the existing trustees will remain in office as trustees of the united district until the first election is held. It will be a matter for the trustees acting as a united board to determine what officers shall be retained. In any case it will not be correct to use the term Horahia Drainage Board, as that board will have g°ne out, of existence, but a solicitor should be consulted on the question of how far the proceedings 'for the loan poll should be continued.

“The qualification l of electors, for the first election should be the county qualification.

“Subdivision. The two existing sets of trustees sitting as a united board should not deal with the question of subdivision, as it is a matter of policy which should be left 'for the new board to determine. The new board may at any time subdivide the district and fix representation for subdivision.”